Whether we like it or not, confrontation is part of a believer’s arsenal of caring for one another. If a driver inadvertently turned down a one-way street heading the wrong way, there would be two reasons to get his attention. The first would be concern about the damage he could do to himself. The second reason would be concern about the damage he could do to someone else. Observers of this driver could react in two ways. They could simply ignore the driver and the consequences of his error, or they could try to get the driver’s attention.
A caring Christian not only encourages his or her sisters and brothers in Christ—comforting them in their afflictions, restoring them in their spiritual illnesses, carrying their burdens when necessary—but also confronts them when they are in error about God’s truth.
However, if you’re anything like me, the problem is you don’t like confrontation. Part of you knows that when a friend needs correction or rebuke for some decision they’ve made, if you aren’t coming to their rescue, then who? But another part of you (the part that hates confrontation) rationalizes your way out of doing the right thing. “Someone will set them straight, but it ain’t gonna be me.” Friend, let me assure you this is the wrong attitude to take when it comes to caring for those you claim to love.
A fellow believer in Jesus Christ may already know he is in error, or she may not know she is going in the wrong direction. Either way, he or she needs to be lovingly confronted about deviating from me truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
